A second person, reported to be the 24-year-old brother of a teenager whose body was found earlier, has died from injuries suffered in a possible fireworks explosion and fire at an apartment complex in Bell Gardens that left one other victim injured.
Crews from the Los Angeles County Fire Department were called at 6:08 p.m. Tuesday to the 6500 block of Purdy Avenue, south of East Gage Avenue, where they encountered heavy flames at the two-story complex following the explosion, which the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department a department spokeswoman told City News Service.
Firefighters extinguished the flames shortly before 7:10 p.m. The second floor of the complex appeared to have significant damage, with a large section of the front missing and parts of the roof collapsed, video from the scene showed.
A boy and a man were rushed to a hospital. The child was treated and released and the man was hospitalized in critical condition, according to the fire department.
A resident told reporters at the scene the man appeared to be badly burned.
Family members speaking to reporters identified the deceased teenager as 13-year-old Carlos Hernandez and the man who died at a hospital as his brother Christopher Benitez.
“During their initial investigation and processing of the scene, (investigators) observed materials consistent with homemade explosives and fireworks,” according to an LASD statement that said the incident appears to be isolated “and there is no threat to the community.”
It took around 60 firefighters one hour to put out the fire, which could be seen from several blocks away.
Emilio Guerrero, who lives in the area, said he saw “a big ball of fire” subsequent to the explosion.
Several families from the complex were displaced by the fire and the American Red Cross assisted them with temporary housing, officials said.
Anyone with information about the explosion was urged to contact the sheriff’s Arson Explosives Detail at 323-881-7500. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
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